BuzzFlash Mailbag for April 29, 2008

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Subject: Obama and Reverend Wright

Even if Reverend Wright had been reading a phone book from the pulpit instead of making remarks about American foreign policy, we would've been offended by him anyway. Why? It's the tone. It's that slightly unhinged fanatical-sounding preacher-style, one that favors soliloquisms ("I'm not divisive, I'm descriptive") one that favors simple moral equivocation (My church fought against slavery, the other church held slaves). In modern times, we find that style itself too divisive, too much in love with the sound of its own voice. It makes us suspicious. Today, if you want to carry on with poetic, over-the-top bravado, you have to rap, not preach.

What we prefer is the more muted, kid-driven, ironic tones of YouTube videos, a self-deprecating, self-mocking voice that doesn't take itself too seriously. Watching one, we ask, "Is the video being sarcastic? Is it sentimental? Is it a big joke?" The answer is all three.

Why this preference? In America, we believe that everything we're told about the important issues is manipulated dishonestly, slanted towards a hidden agenda. Therefore, if anyone talks with hubris, using a loud, strident tone, we don't listen. We assume we're being sold swampland.

For these reasons, it makes us nervous that Mr. Obama would sit at the knee of someone so brash and one-sided in his rhetoric. However, what should be clear by now is that Obama, a younger man, realizes the limits, not only of that style of communicating, but also, of a fundamentally one-sided view of life. My guess is that he's tried to sit down with Rev. Wright and point out that you can't go through life as if there are still Whites-only signs in storefronts. But how to make that point without disrespecting the sacrifices of his pastor's generation? That's Obama's dilemma.

Obama's choice of church has value. It's great to go to a church with dynamism, with palpable vibrancy. It's good to go through life "all fired up," as he says.

But Obama is not a rote follower. He's perfectly capable of listening respectfully to the voice of a trusted elder, while not swallowing whole everything he hears. If a church is emotion-driven, you'll often hear an us-against-them attitude in many of the sermons. And like many intelligent leaders of his generation, Obama has sifted through the voice of those more experienced, taken what's good, and left behind what no longer works.

This is a skill that will serve him well as President: No sacred cows. Let's see what gets the job done.

A BuzzFlash Reader

Subject: McCain

I do not think that McCain is the right guy, we need Obama or at least Clinton to clean up this mess. On the other hand questioning McCain's right to his Navy disability pension and/or his health is over the top. This begins to smell of the swiftboating of Kerry and Cleland i.e. attacks based on false and irrelevant allegations. McCain was injured. He won medals for his actions in Vietnam. Just because he is disabled from the military does not mean he was/is disabled from serving as President. Jack Kennedy's war injuries did not disable him from serving as President, why should McCain's? There is plenty of ammo out there to attack McCain with and I believe in fighting fire with fire, but let's not lower ourselves to the bottom of Karl Rove's bag of dirty tricks.

Pete Walsh
Grand Rapids, MI

It may be too soon to say and perhaps too late - but what I have found in these bills is a furtherance of our government's end run around the Bill of Rights. Relying upon congress to take our best interests to heart with laws of this magnitude should be unsettling and require greater public knowledge and discussion. The resolution qualifies this Act with the term "violence" as its threshold. But the stipulated violence is attached to acts of advancing political, religious, or social change. This only goes to further define the target, "Congress will implement an auditing system," (via a think tank) "to ensure that compliance does not violate the constitutional and civil rights or civil liberties of any racial, ethnic, or religious group".

Our laws boast being, on the whole, among the fairest ever devised. But every generation has had its share of divisive laws; invited suspicion on its own citizens and any critical opinion of the government. Laws aren't much to speak of when they're designed to delude the public and win its passivity. This law further expands the Department of Homeland Security and spends more taxpayer dollars while giving Congress a free ride on real accountability.

Michael Chevalier
Cedar Rapids, IA

Where is the PRESS? It's like the mainstream media has had a TOTAL BLACKOUT on the CRIMES of this Bush administration.

Their LACK of coverage, leaves a population uninformed, in the dark, unable to make intelligent decisions, or let our elected officials know how we feel about what's going on.

It's criminal the way our mainstream media is parroting any information the White House wants to release.

What is the difference between our news media and the tight control other countries with dictatorships have over their press?

In Russia, China and in many South American countries the press is NOT FREE. Americans are appalled that those countries haven't a free press and that the people are being fed propaganda from their governments.

I don't see any difference with our press. We have reporters, White House correspondents who DO NOT ASK ANY QUESTIONS, ABSOLUTELY NONE, of this administration.

What are they doing? Don't they follow LEADS? Aren't they interested in pursuing the TRUTH? Did any of them watch "All the President's Men"? about Carl Bernstein and Bob Woodward breaking the Watergate scandal?

What are these schools of journalism teaching? It seems that all the good reporting and articles are coming from the internet these days.

Helen Thomas is from the old school of journalism. She's virtually the ONLY White House press correspondent who asks questions of this administration.

An example of this was on 4/23/08, when Thomas asked Dana Perino about Bush ADMITTING to knowing about TORTURE and authorizing it, and yet repeatedly telling the country how America does not torture.

The question was, could Perino explain such a credibility gap?

Perino then told Thomas that she was taking liberties with what the president has said and that the United States has not, is not torturing any detainees on the global war on terror.

Thomas said,"You're denying in this room, that we torture and we have tortured?"

Ms. Perino: "Yes, I'm denying that".

See video: http://thinkprogress.org/2008/04/23 thomas-chides-colleagues-torture/ "Thomas Breaks Press's 14 Day Silence on Bush's Torture Approval, Chides Colleagues:'Where Is Everybody?'" by Ben 4/23/08.

Thomas told Perino that the president had admitted to knowing about the TORTURE program and approved of it and that there are photos of prisoners being tortured.

Martha Radditz interviewed the President 4/11/08 ABC news when he admitted to knowing about the principal advisor's meetings which discussed torture techniques to be used on prisoners at Guantanamo Bay.

The SILENCE in the briefing room was deafening. When no one asked any follow-up questions, Helen shouted, "Where is Everybody?" Good question, where were they?

This White House press secretary LIED and NOT one reporter called her on it.

Everyone of those reporters should be FIRED, for being DERELICT of DUTY.

On the other hand, college students at Knox College in Galesburg, Illinois had John Ashcroft as a speaker on 4/22/08.

See video and article:http://www.dailykos.com/ storyonly/2008/4/23/04046/3938/224/501151 "John Ashcroft Yelled At Me Tonight, No Joke" by Elsinora 4/22/08.

Video of Keith Olbermann on 4/24/08 http://www.crooksandliars.com/Countdown's Worst Persons in The World:John Ashcroft, Pastor Bird and McCain's Choice of Spiritual Advisors" by Nicole Bell 4/24/08.

Our Congress and the White House press corps, should have been there to get a lesson in Democracy. These students were DEMANDING answers, unlike our Congress and the mainstream media. Ashcroft had his feet held to the fire.

Several students turned up with hoods, orange tops and bloody hands, Ashcroft made fun of them.

Then the questions began.

Was the ABC news story correct?

That was the story about Principal Advisors making decisions on torture and Ashcroft was a principal 4/09/08. He hadn't heard about the story.

He was asked his position on torture, since it violated the Geneva Conventions and International Law. He didn't have copies with him.

Elsinora asked Ashcroft several questions.

She held two documents in her hand. One was the text from the United Nations Convention, which is against torture. He couldn't answer that without seeing it, come and see me another time about it we can talk then.

The second document was a section from the judgment of the Tokyo War Tribunal. This was really the Nuremberg Trials for Japan. Torture was listed then as WATER TREATMENT, today it is called WATER BOARDING. The Japanese were tried for the water treatment of Americans during WWII. They were sent to prison for 15-20 years.

Her question was, if Yukio Asano (who was sentenced to prison for 15 years of hard labor) was trying to get information to help defend his country, exactly what you Mr. Ashcroft say is acceptable for Americans to do, do you believe that his sentence was unjust?

Ashcroft, who was angry and shouting, played a game of semantics by saying that in the tribunal the word was "FORCED" water down vs the Americans who "POURED" water, so ours is not torture.

Even though he got sharp with her and tried to avoid answering her questions and even though she could have been intimidated by the position he held in the government, as the former Attorney General of the United States this young college student DIDN'T back down.

Elsinora wasn't put off by Ashcroft's answers, as she tried to PIN him down to answer her questions.

FINALLY, in America whether at a college campus or at some public forum, where these former Bush administration appointees speak, they are being asked to ANSWER to the American public. Maybe mainstream media won't report about it, but Youtube does, thank goodness.

It would have been nice to have seen this ENTIRE question and answer forum that Ashcroft attended.

He was extremely UNCOMFORTABLE being questioned about torture and avoided answering questions about all those TORTURE meetings he attended in the White House.

These BUSH NEOCONS have been so INSULATED from REAL AMERICANS. Every event is vetted and ONLY Bush supporters are allowed. Consequently, they have no idea what the other 99% of us are thinking.

Ashcroft was called a LIAR when he didn't tell the truth, he was told to answer the QUESTION, he was called a MURDERER, a WAR CRIMINAL.

This is the kind of hot seat these NEOCONS should have been put in by the press. NEVER letting them get away with anything.

Calling this administration out every time they LIED, which has been ALL the time, should have been the job of our journalists, not college students.

So NOW the Bush cronies are facing the real world and it's not a pretty picture.

Bullies love to intimidate, threaten, use force, make themselves more important than they are.

People who bully are really insecure and cowards.

Cowards don't want to take responsibility for anything.

If Nancy Pelosi, Harry Reid, John Conyers and the Mainstream Media had IMPEACHMENT ON THE TABLE, those bullies would be turning on each other, faster than you can say WAR CRIMES.

We could put an end to this Iraq War, torture, the shredding of our Constitution and Bill of Rights and put a halt to the DELIBERATE attempt to DESTROY the U.S. ECONOMY, by bankrupting America.

When will the MEDIA step up to the plate and do their job? All we need is one more journalist asking those tough questions alongside Helen Thomas, and maybe they'll ALL find the courage to do the right thing.

We can only hope.

IMPEACH! IMPEACH! IMPEACH!

Markmyword
Chicago, Illinois

I certainly wholeheartedly agree with those who are dismayed at the vicious attacks on Hillary Clinton by Buzz. Randi Rhodes, Stephanie Miller and Ed Schultz are on this same bandwagon. I no longer listen to any of them. My husband and I had long suspected that Ed was a closet Republican (he admits he used to be) but now I am suspect of them all.

This is a Democratic candidate. No one disputes a voter's right to choose one over the other but these rancid attacks on a Democrat will come back to haunt all of you! B. Obama is not my first choice but I do not denigrate him. You have gone too far and any person who calls a former first lady a whore (Randi) will never be listened to by me. Let's leave those gutter politics to the Republicans please.

A BuzzFlash Reader

Today...4/28/08, for anyone who was not watching, there were hearings on C-Span...and three ex-employees of one of these companies in Iraq. They told of some hair raising stories that I had heard, but, did not even believe they could happen in a nazi country...it is so horrible I am not sure I took it all in. I am going to try to watch it in replay tonight, if at all possible. They told of the kind of food they got...the threats they got...the water they had to use to bathe in...so they stashed bottled water which was not much better to rinse off in after the shower...because it was muddy water...they carried food in buckets in the hot sun...and sometimes they were so hungry, they ate stuff that was obviously spoiled.

Never...In my days of living in the country as a child...no refrigeration...no running water...have I ever heard of anything this deliberately disgusting. Their lives were threatened...they made from 60 thousand to 120 thousand dollars a year...but they were actually locked up at times... Folks...these were the actual people who went through this...I cannot even remember it all...that is why I want to watch it again...it will be on again. Dorgan and Durbin...told them that there were times when they could not even have these hearings before...and there was not one REPUBLICAN on the panel... It made me sick...and I thought of how horrid to pay people like that to do jobs that likely were illegal...pay them good money (they have nothing now, because they came forth) ...but, threaten their very lives. I am looking forward to watching it again...it was much worse than when Eric Prince was on...he would not divulge anything.

Okay...too...I saw my first John McCain car sticker today...the only one I have ever seen. I have seen many Ron Paul ones...but, never a McCain one. It was as follows...I had to drive around the block to actually read it and believe it.

"NO OBAMA NO CHELSEA'S MOMMA JOHN MCCAIN FOR PRESIDENT 2008"

INCIDENTALLY...THERE WAS AN OLD WORN OUT BUSH/CHENEY STICKER UNDER IT...THIS IS A DYED IN THE WOOL WAR LOVER....

Shirley ... St. Louis

Took the quiz, and when I wasn't laughing, the fear creeped in. Good Humor as Defense Contractor, who'd a thunk it!

http://missedexit.blog-city.com

Missedexit
Nassau County, NY

"But he's not even for a single payer health care system?"

"No matter."

"Why no matter?"

"If indeed he is the one then upon taking office he'll end the Iraq War, negotiate with Iran plus turning things around here at home."

"And then what sort of world?"

"It'll be up to us."

A BuzzFlash Reader

Subject: My pastor is holier than yours

I am constantly amazed at the obscure details that politicians will dig up to cast aspersions upon the personal lives of their opponents in order to keep the people from looking at the issues. Lately we are being exposed to the "Preacher Scandal" where each candidate is expected to tell their pastor to just shut up!

The good Rev. Wright is drawing fire, much of which is singeing Senator Barack Obama, because he is a prime example of what a black pastor is expected to be, an oratorial firebrand who inspires his people to hope for freedom and equality. In return, people are looking askance at Senator John McCain for accepting the endorsement of the radical fundamentalist ministers who are cheering on our wasteful Middle East war in the hope for Armageddon.

The mainstream media is having a field day with this minutia while parading "experts" on both politics and religion across our screen. Hours of air time are spent on this trivia while the soldiers keep dying in Iraq, the criminality of the Pentagon policies, the brutal treatment, not only of our prisoners, but of our "all-volunteer" servicewomen, is conveniently swept under the rug and onto the back pages of the newspapers.

Meanwhile, back at the ranch, homes are being foreclosed by predatory lenders, gasoline prices are in the stratosphere, and the cost of even food has become prohibitive. Meanwhile, the small amount of money that is left in the pockets of the working class is being rooted out to pay for health care, medications, and the very basics of life in order to enrich still further the corporate thieves in the board rooms. Those scoundrels are aware that their time is short and they must gouge all they can from the working class before the current administration leaves office and their gravy train ends.

What will stop this debacle of democracy when the new administration leaves office? It is almost impossible to find out, since nobody is talking about the issues. We know that Senator Hillary Clinton can put on a phony rural accent on command and that Senator Barack Obama is an accomplished wordsmith, but what will they DO to correct the course of our nation? Both have tiptoed around the health issues, speaking of "tax credits," "help with paying insurance premiums," but it is indefinite and brings to mind comments about "treating the symptoms while ignoring the disease."

None of them has even mentioned the Presidential signing statements and executive exceptions which have slammed the door to "open government" and effectively neutered the Congress and the courts. Would any of the candidates continue that policy? Who knows?

Plans to leave Iraq are "off the table" for McCain and amorphous in the proposals from the Democratic candidates. McCain wants to ameliorate the pain of gas prices by suspending the taxes paid at the pump at the risk of further deteriorating highways. Hillary Clinton suggests a "windfall profits" tax on corporations but Barack Obama is too busy defending himself from the charges against Pastor Wright to develop any plan at all that we have heard.

It would seem that the American voter would have the discernment to realize which way the smoke is blowing and to shout, "Enough!" This whole tragicomedy of a political campaign has descended into farce as the "pundits" mis-speak and mis-quote. The speeches in question were not "sermons" delivered in his Chicago church as depicted by Chris Matthews and others, but speeches delivered at conferences and meetings of black leaders. If Obama had been sitting in that pew for every Sunday of his twenty-year membership, he would have heard none of them!

But we have all heard Jerry Falwell and John Hagee and their pronouncements about the wrath of God as the reasons for each of the disasters that have befallen our country as well as the other calls from the Fundamentalist pastors of divine retaliation for our failure to embrace their faith. They do not ask for God to damn America but tell us that He already has!

We should pay no more attention to the professional rantings of Pastor Wright than we do to those of the Fundamentlists and get on with the process of choosing the next leader of our nation. If we must pray for something, let it be that we still have a nation to govern in January, 2009.

Mary Pitt 

PS: The author is a very "with-it" old lady who aspires to bring a bit of truth, justice, and common sense to a nation that has lost touch with its humanity in the search for "societal perfection."

Ladies and Gentlemen, it comes as no surprise to us that Bill O'Reilly is the spokesman for the dimwitted and critically stupid. The O'Reilly crowd are truly those for whom the phrase, "They couldn't grab their ass with both hands" was meant to depict.

I watched Reverend Wright's speech yesterday morning and thought it was poignant, powerful, and purposeful. And at the same time I knew that Bill O'Reilly as well as most of the media would be incapable of understanding just what was said.

The concepts of a religious experience based upon a bottom up perspective, as a means and a way of helping us through challenges to our very lives in our life makes no sense to an intellectually challenged person cut from the cloth of bigots such as Bill O'Reilly.

Another real shocker is that the Republican Party is full of racists and bigots and hate mongers. They want none of this talk of reconciliation. It is hate 24 hours a day. It is hate speech on the television, and the radio, and from their Presidential candidate. They are good at it. They want to kill those that are different. So what does this Jeremiah Wright mean when he says different is not better nor worse it is just different? In their party they love to use terms like tar baby, raghead, mucaca, and in their back rooms and board rooms you know they still love to use the term ni**er.

In the Republican Party they have no time for providing for the general welfare, of providing health care for all, of providing good schools, and missions of peace. In the minds of these critically stupid people you kill those that are different, and to advocate an embracing of difference is not something they are capable of. All of this despite the fact that our Founding Fathers built this nation based upon the principle of difference.

Their vision was that we were different in our nation, that all men are created equal. They did not say all Americans, but rather all men. And it is quite clear that the practice of slavery for many of these men gnawed away at their souls.

Last night as I was forced to watch Bill O'Reilly as he is on the big screen in front of the bike I choose to ride at the gym, I watched as the spokesman for the dimwitted and the critically stupid chose to spend time not just on what this pea-brained idiot thought Reverend Wright said but how he looked saying it. Yes Bill O'Reilly analyzed the "body language" of Reverend Wright. Sad, pathetic, stupid, and yet true.

If we as a nation are ever going to make big strides towards a better world for generations to come we must elect Barack Obama, for his hope and his vision, his wisdom, and the healing. Secondly we must take Bill O'Reilly and those like him off the air.

Last week I was in Chicago doing at least one of the things I have loved for decades. I went to see my Chicago White Sox play the Yankees. I walked down Wacker to State Street and took the train south to 35th street. I had a wonderful time. I have been a Sox fan since 1959. Sox fans have always been edgey, I would say, and the atmosphere at the game was as I remembered. As I walked I proudly wore my Sox hat and shirt and Cub fans yelled some stuff as I walked by. I was different and proud. One Chicago team won The World Series 2 years ago and one is celebrating their 100 year anniversary without one.

As Progressives and Democrats it has not been 100 years since we won the White House, it just seems like it. George Bush and The Republican Party have set us back at least 100 years and the racism directed towards Reverend Wright and Barack Obama by major media is clearly something we all had hoped was behind us. We must join together and push for our candidate to take control. The spokesman for the dimwitted and critically stupid will ramble on, just as long as there are stupid people willing to wear white robes and shout messages of hate. The rest of us should embrace the difference and learn.

Jim Ridout
Albuquerque, New Mexico

Subject: Barack Obama, Rev. Wright, And Racism, America Responds: We're Not Done With You Yet

The Blog this morning was right on the money! Thank you for saying what needs to be said. I hope that this will get as wide a readership as possible. It's about time someone pointed out the hypocrisy of the media regarding Wright and the talking heads of the Right Wing. Wright, Obama and their supporters have absolutely nothing to be contrite about but the media want to back Wright and Obama into the anti-patriotic corner.

Thanks!

A BuzzFlash Reader 

I thought Buzzers would like to know this. There was a big trucker demonstration in Washington D.C. protesing the gas prices. I didn't see it on any of the major T.V. networks, so I called CBS news. They told me they chose not to run it! I asked "Why?" and they basically asked "Why should we care about truckers?" I said, "Are you kidding me? You run Bush talking about drilling in ANWAR, but you don't care about the voices of American truckers?"

I told them they need to start reporting the voices of the American people instead of this corrupt administration. Bottom line... they really don't give a damn.

Truckers Rally to Protest High Costs for Fuel (Washington Post)

Rob Moitoza
Seattle, WA

Subject: Puppet Iraqi Government Backs Bush Administration's Claim That Iran Is Supplying Weapons To Anti-government Militants

"Who we're being told are using these weapons to kill our soldiers."

"Do they really think we'll pay any attention to what a puppet has to say?"

"How's that for desperation?"

"What's next?"

"President Bush is about to tell us 'Nobody hates war more than me, but because we now have new and conclusive evidence that Iran is preparing to attack America, I've just given the order for bombs away.'"

"What'll stop him?

"We elect a president who ends the Iraq War, negotiates with Iran plus turning things around here at home."

"And then what sort of world?"

"It'll be up to us."

Iraq jumps into U.S.-Iran tussle - Los Angeles Times

A BuzzFlash Reader 

Rev. Jeremiah Wright is a distinguished pastor and former marine. He is his own man and believes in speaking truth to power. He also speaks only for himself. On his PBS interview with Bill Moyers, he proved himself to be a man of intellect. At an NAACP banquet held in Detroit, he was shown as a skilled and admirable speaker. At the National Press Club, he proved himself to be a selfish, hurt individual who was attempting to lash out at the media bullies who had castigated his character for several weeks.

In doing so, he selfishly managed to do sufficient harm to one of his parishioners, Barack Obama, and 'possibly' to those of us who view Barack Obama's presidential candidacy as one that will provide change from the status quo. Wright had every right to speak and most of his comments were accurate, but his demeanor at the Press Club was that of a man with a bruised ego who is given an opportunity to get back at his tormentors.

It was most unfortunate because I strongly believe that this nation needs a Barack Obama at this time due to the disastrous policies of the George Bush era...not another Clinton and surely not Bush-lite McCain!

Hopefully Americans will not allow the corporate mainstream media, right-wing talk (hate) radio, Fox/CNN News, nor Jeremiah Wright deter us from making the right choice for the nation's highest office!

Dee Turner
Atlanta

Subject: Obama's Chances

As a Baby Boomer who has been in politics for years, I have been saying for months that Obama can't get elected in November. We are being set up and many naive Obama supporters are going to get the lesson of their lives. Red states are not going to vote for Obama in November. They are just messing with us. But Obama supporters don't have a clue as to how the political game is played. (It's state by state, not popular vote.) I REALLY hate to say this, but when it comes down to it, many white men will not vote for Obama. All the racists are not dead yet. They view this as their last stand for white power. I have written many progressive talk shows who are pushing Obama and doing nothing but Hillary hate speech. I tell them the same thing, but they never respond. They never take the subject up. Not only that, these hate talkers are only hurting & turning off the Democratic base. And who is the Democratic base? WOMEN!!!!!!!!!!

Many women have told me just how pissed off they are at the progressive talk shows, the pro Obama press, and the naive Obama supporters. Will they vote for McCain? NO! But many have said they won't vote for president. As a political junkie, I know that is a vote for McCain. I blame a lot of the progressive talk show hosts and blogs for this whole mess. When are they going to wake up and stop leading people to believe that Obama has a chance?

Either Obama and Clinton should run together or else we need someone else. (Edwards or Gore would be great). There are not enough young voters to overcome the white male vote and the pissed off female vote. More than anything we need a Dem in the White House. But what have we done?????????

Downriverdem
Michigan 

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